Meet Holly! One year ago on Christmas Eve, we got a call from our local shelter. This 4 year old tiny girl came to us with a 2 lb. tumor that was biopsied, and came back as a low grade, slow growing cancer. It was removed successfully. Holly had recently given birth, and the vet stated that she had several litters previously. It has been a happy year for Holly! She has a wonderful foster family that adores her and spoils her rotten. Today, Holly was diagnosed with disseminated Valley Fever, which is an air borne fungal disease common to California and Arizona. Holly had a seizure a few weeks ago, and the fungal infection has settled in her leg bone, and several lymph nodes. Fortunately, her prognosis is good, once she begins her treatment. Without your tremendous support, Love, and encouragement, we could not help special pups like Holly! Please consider making a donation today for Holly’s treatment, and in honor of #Giving Tuesday? Holly would appreciate your loving support! You are deeply appreciated, and you give the gift of life every day to girls just like Holly! Puppy hugs and kisses from Holly, and all of us from SCCR.

We got a call on Saturday that a female cocker had been picked up! She was reported to have blood on her head, and that she may have been hit with a weapon! Someone reported that is was a bat? We were all horrified! We agreed to take her of course, and she was brought to my home. She had 3 open wounds and she needed to be cleaned up. She had to be shaved because she was heavily matted. She also had to have several baths. This little girl was in terrible shape! She then saw the Vet, and he stated that Bailey Grace (name given by a foster volunteer for SCCR) was approximately 10 years of age. She needs a full dental desperately. She is the sweetest little girl, and weighs 24 pounds. She is with a temporary foster while getting her medical evaluation and treatment. Bailey Grace’s wounds on her head are no longer bleeding, so that lends some credibility to the story that she was hit on the head. She has a droopy side to her face. Could be from the injury, or from old ear infections, but her ears were surprisingly clean. Bailey also has multiple large warts that need to be removed and she will have a biopsy done. The Vet has her scheduled for November 21st for a full dental and wart removal, biopsy, spay, shots, and anything else she may need. Her senior blood panel was good, so they gave her Metacam to reduce swelling (on her head and perhaps fix droopy face), and also to help with any pain she may be having. We are on a waiting list to go in early.

There has been multiple reports of abused animals recently. We are so relieved that Bailey’s story will have a happy ending! She deserves to be a pampered princess for the rest of her life!

This little girl’s tail is wagging now, and she is eating everything not nailed down!

We can’t do what we do without your help and donations! Every dollar matters. Thank you!

Just ask Dorie!

You know where to get the freshest produce, the cheapest kitty litter, and who is the best local bank, so how do you tell if the dog or cat rescue you want to adopt from, is a reputable rescue? Dorie will tell you!

Warning signs of a BAD rescue:
-they will only take cash.
-they refuse to give you medical records for the dog.
-they will falsify vaccine and spay certifications.
-they insist on getting money from you before you can meet the dog.
-they will auction off dogs if more than one adopter is interested (dog does to the highest bidder.)
-they will not take their dogs back, if you encounter a problem and the dog is not a good fit.
-they will include in the adoption agreement that you have to rehome the dog if you can’t keep it.
-they won’t let you bring your dog to meet the new dog to make sure they get along.
-you find it difficult to get a call back from the Rescue when you voice a concern about your new pet.
-there is a failure to support and problem solve to ensure a successful adoption experience.
-there is little information on the history, health and behavior issues of the pet.

Dorie felt that it was very important to educate potential adopters of the right way to go about choosing a reputable rescue organization. There are many rescues out there, and more popping up all the time. The organization, ideally, will be able to use their financial resources wisely. The Rescue should be able to provide detailed documentation of all medical procedures, and the Adopter should be able to call the vet to confirm services! The rescue should also be using its donations, not as a primary source of personal income, but as a charitable organization with documentation proving their financial responsibility in caring for the animals in their care! Most reputable rescues will be happy to provide this documentation upon request, or have it readily accessible on their website! This topic is vitally important! A successful adoption provides security, and alleviates stress in the experience! The adoption process takes a lot of energy.  Settling your new family member into your home can take from several weeks, up to several months. Do your homework, and ask around! Using a reputable rescue can increase your chances of a positive adoption experience!

Happy wagging tails from Dorie!

Meet a sweet senior girl who is in the shelter in Los Banos, CA. We have had our eyes on her, and she is available to pull today. She has a tentative diagnosis of Cushing’s Disease, really bad skin, as well as ear and eye issues. The staff is reporting that she is a “super sweet girl”, who just wants someone to take her home and love her (staffs words.) She is a female Cocker Spaniel. She is a buff color, but has black around eyes, which may be related to the Cushing’s Disease. She will need lots of TLC, a full medical assessment, including blood work and skin scrapings for analysis. She will also need medication for the Cushing’s, and an eye check at a specialist to rule out Glaucoma. She has obviously had her medical needs neglected for a very long time. Poor girl! We are asking for your help to assess and treat her! It will be a long road ahead, but with meds and lots of love, she should recover nicely!

PUPDATE: We have made the arrangements and will be pulling her today. Her foster family has named her Stella. She will be fully checked by our vet and might need to be spayed too. Thanks for your love and support! We will keep everyone posted!

Love, Stella and SCCR

My name is Wally. I heard the shelter say I was in terrible shape, and that I have been neglected all of my life. I only know that I have had a hard time, and now that I am a senior, the way I have been treated has caught up with me. I am a happy fellow though! Even though I have a large bleeding mass on my cropped tail, I can’t help but wag it all of the time! I love people, dogs, and everyone I meet! Please help me to get these masses removed from my tail and my behind, and I will be able to live the rest of my life to the fullest! I am living with my new mom Carolyn now, and she will fill you in on my health issues. Love from me! Wally!
Please help us help Wally. No donation is too small. Thank you.

Update from Carolyn who is caring for Wally:
Wally is a train wreck!!!   Bilateral cataracts and appears to me to have glaucoma in at least one eye. Ears infected and can’t hear much anyway.  Filthy dirty (just had a bath) and matted mess…..various lipomas all over his body, and the abcess the shelter mentioned that was on his rear end is actually on his nub…..it literally looks like someone whacked his tail off and left a stump.  Not nice at all.  I have started cephalaxin and carprofen and am calling Dr. Card to see if any of the glaucoma eye drops I have will be ok.
He has been ignored for a very long time and no question he has suffered.

My name is Tilly Milly, and I was adopted by some people from Irvine, CA about 9 months ago. It turns out that these people were not real patient with a senior (ME) that can’t help but piddle a few times in the house. My owners just brought me to the shelter requesting euthanasia. I didn’t know what that was exactly… Luckily, the shelter changed my status to “owner relinquishment.”  Whew! The reason they decided to take me to the shelter stated, “due to a few instances of inappropriate elimination in the house,” and my “need for costly Cherry Eye surgery.”  I lived with another dog, who was my very best friend and they took that away from me too. Enough about my past, here’s a little about me. I am a very friendly and social girl with everyone I meet, and I behave very well around other dogs. I am 11 years old, with many good years ahead of me, if I can get my medical problems taken care of. Here is a list of problems needing attention that the Vet gave SCCR.

Shelter Medical Report: Tilly has cutaneous masses that will require surgical removal, Cherry eye and Keratoconjuctivitis Sicca, that will require surgery and eye medications, and pyoderma requiring long term medical intervention, as well as grade 4 dental disease requiring surgery, and finally, otitis, requiring a sedated exam to determine severity. So this is where I need your help! All donations, large and small are appreciated!

I know it seems like a lot of problems but I assure you, I am worth it! I also need a new forever family that will love me with a Forever-kind-of-love!

Love ya,

Tilly

PS: A huge thank you to Lanark and her family for fostering Tilly!

My name is Lucky, and I am really lucky SCCR has saved me, BUT they are thinking I need a NEW NAME! More of a cute pup name. I am a 12 year old Cockapoo, and I am told that I am the sweetest little man! I was rescued (luckily) from the Lompoc (California) Shelter. I heard someone whisper that I was a train wreck! The shelter and Second Chance Cocker Rescue said that they wanted to save me anyway, because of my charming ways! My foster said that my…. um…private area, appeared to be abnormal and may possibly be testicular cancer! I was never neutered and my old owners did not understand that that this decision could cost my life! Yikes! Take those little “kippers” out of there while you can!  Dogs should be altered (spayed or neutered) during the first year of life. After that year, the chances of cancer increases every year that passes, without having this life-saving procedure! I also have a heart murmur AND to top it all of, I can’t see, but I get around pretty well! I want to ask for your help! I have heard that many of you like “special pups” like me! I am praying that I can get a second chance at life as well! I will need a full medical assessment, next week. I have infected ears, I need grooming, my teeth are a mess, and my “kippers” need fixing! I will also need my shots, micro-chipped, and A NEW NAME! No donation is too small. Thank you! I was thinking Prince Charming maybe??? Let me know what you think my new name should be! Love ❤️ from me!

Hello, my name is Elsa (that is my real name). I wanted to share my story with you all.

Not because I want pity or anything, but because I wanted you to know the kind of things that happen to pups like me when no one cares enough to watch over us. I am hoping that this story will save a life or two, of some of my pup-cousins. Here is my story….

I was picked up as a stray, and I was taken to the Carson Shelter in Los Angeles, California several weeks ago. I had an injured leg, and I wasn’t able to put much weight on it. My family did eventually found out I was there, and came to see me, but they decided that I was too much work for them to handle easily, since I am a senior gal, and now I had an injury to deal with as well. This is a hard part for me to tell you about… You see, my family turned and walked away and left me. They didn’t turn back, and I was really scared. Other dogs were barking, and I think we were all really scared there. Bad things happen there sometimes. I was now classified as an “owner surrender” and in a shelter that is not a good thing.

A few days later, a vet technician came to get me. I thought the vet was going to look at my leg but he amputated it!! I don’t understand why. I was confused, and really scared. Now I know why everyone is really scared in that place! I admit that I don’t understand humans, and the way they think about animals. Like we don’t hurt, or get sad, or that we can love?

I am a little girl (about 13 pounds and bone thin), but I am as cute as can be…. and very sweet! I was rescued by SCCR thank goodness, and sent to Mama Carolyn to get me well enough to find a new home. I heard Mama Carolyn say bad words when she found out that the shelter had not given me any pain meds. No wonder I couldn’t eat anything. She took care of me and now I am eating great, and I am feeling so much better every day about walking on 3 legs!

When I heard that I needed to see another vet I was a little worried as you can imagine. Mama Carolyn said not to worry, this was a great vet and she would take really good care of me. Well, the shelter vet left the end of my amputated leg in the hip socket and it developed gangrene. I almost got to the new vet too late to save me. Then, on top of everything else, we found out that I have pneumonia too. Turns out, Dr. Card knows some bad words too! I am not sure what a butcher is but I am guessing it is NOT good! I can’t tell you how much better I feel. I am on lots of pain medication, antibiotics, and I am being spoiled rotten. Mama Carolyn figured out I like McDonald’s, because I have been living it up eating all the chicken nuggets I can scarf down! I am amazed at the service here. I kind of feel like a princess! (I actually heard Mama Carolyn call me that…lol).

I have been told I am going to be ok, and that I will make a nice companion dog for some ‘older’ person who does not have a real active lifestyle and just wants a “sweet thing” to love. That’s me alright…. A real sweet thing!

Love always,

Elsa

Pup-date: Elsa’s teeth are horribly bad and she has a mammary tumor too. So, once this leg is all healed up we will have to have more work done…….she is a bit of a mess (looks wise) right now, as she has some dried blood on her fur and some little matts….but one thing at a time for this little sweetie. We are crazy about her!

We will need to dig deep to pay Elsa’s bills. Any help you can give is so appreciated.

Thank you! We will keep the pup-dates coming!